When traveling on mass transit such as trains, airlines, and buses, it is not uncommon for a person to want to rest or even sleep. However, people often find it difficult to get into a comfortable position to do so because they are typically seated in an upright position instead of laying down. Furthermore, the spatial constrains on mass transit seating does not lend itself to a comfortable resting position. Worse, when people do manage to fall asleep under these conditions, when they wake up it is not uncommon to have aches due to strained muscles and ligaments dues to falling asleep in an awkward position. For example, a traveler in an airline seat may be limited to simply leaning their head forward, or forward at an angle. If they remain in such a position for a significant period of time, it can result in strain in the upper back and neck, causing pain and discomfort.
This problem has been addressed by a variety of products. One of the more popular of which is the neck pillow. A neck pillow is “U” or broken “O” shaped pillow that a person can place around their neck, and which generally encircles their neck. The bulk provided by neck pillow reduces the degree to which a person's head can lean to either side, thereby allowing the person to relax without placing excessive strain on their neck. These pillows can help alleviate some of the discomfort associated with resting during long transits, but they often do not provide support under the chin so a person using them must lean to the side. Leaning their head forward results in the same effect as occurs without the neck pillow. Some neck pillows address this by having overlapping portions in the front, under the wearer's chin, but these can result in a discontinuity (difference in thickness) that causes the head to be biased to an angle.
Other devices have been developed to fit between a person's head and shoulder or under their chin. An example of which is given in U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2011/0169316, which described a portable headrest that can be placed on either side of a person's head, between their head and shoulder on one side. If the person wants to lean to the other side than the device needs to be repositioned. The device can also be used as a chin rest.
One issue with all of these solutions, however, is that, while moderately priced, they are not something one would want to buy every time they travelled. And many people travel infrequently such that a resting device can become lost or misplaced between the time the person first buys and uses the device to the next time they travel, necessitating the purchase of a new resting device or foregoing a resting device to avoid the expense of buying another.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.